From the beginning of his pontificate, Pope St John Paul II spoke to the heart of the faithful. ‘Do not be afraid’ he cried to the crowds gathered in Saint Peters’ Square, urging them (and the communists) to ‘Open wide the doors to Christ.’ He had a special message for young people, telling them: ‘You are the future of the world and the hope of the Church. You are my hope!’ (22 October 1978).
Pray to the patron of impossible causes with this novena prayer.
St Luke was a Greek who trained as a doctor. He converted to Christianity, became a disciple of St Paul and wrote both a Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles. His vivid descriptions of the childhood of Jesus has led some to believe that he was close to the Blessed Virgin Mary.
St Ignatius followed St Peter as bishop of Antioch and was thrown to wild beasts in Rome during the persecution of Trajan. On his way to Rome he wrote seven epistles, which give a clear picture of Christian belief and practice a century or so after Christ’s birth.
One day, Teresa was travelling in bad weather along a muddy stream. Her carriage got stuck and she tumbled into the water with her belongings. As she complained to Jesus, he said: ‘That’s how I treat my friends’, and she replied promptly: ‘No wonder you have so few friends.’ This made her think. Precisely because Jesus had so few friends, Teresa felt they had to be good friends.
In anticipation of the relics of St Bernadette touring Britain this Autumn, frequent pilgrim David Baldwin explores the importance of these relics. He describes eight ways that the message of Lourdes can still resonate powerfully with each of us today and emphasise the abundance of grace that will surely flow from an encounter with St Bernadette.
