On the occasion of the 47th National Bible Week last Sept. 7,  Pope Francis received the participants in audience stressing the importance of serving the Word. Commenting on the theme placed at the center of the week (covenant and election), the Holy Father stressed how “God never chooses someone to exclude others, but always to include everyone. God’s election always has this social and missionary dimension. This is an important warning for our times, in which ever-increasing drifts of separation dig ditches and erect fences between persons and between peoples, to the detriment of the unity of the human race,…

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Why don’t we see Catholics proclaiming their faith and the Bible on the streets?Here enters St Paul Street Evangelization (SPSE), a lay-founded, non-profit organization that preaches the Gospel of Jesus to all nations by taking the Catholic Faith to the streets.Founded in May 2012, SPSE is an 0n-street Catholic evangelization organization that provides “an avenue for people to share the person of Jesus Christ and the truth and beauty of the Catholic faith” in a world in need of it. The organization has been growing tremendously in the United States with over 200+ teams actively working. The means these teams…

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In Milan, in a poor house in a neighborhood of first immigration, a small community of Jesuits set out on a common search for a renewed way of life. At the center of their day they placed the word of God, prayer, Ignatian spirituality, and attention to young people, especially nonbelievers. The essential lifestyle, shared domestic burdens, total gratuity in ministry, a minimum of work to secure their daily bread, immersion in the lively social fabric and apostolic work prepared and lived together gave birth to the Community of Villapizzone, today composed of five Jesuits, which has become a point…

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Gate Zero is a new video game aimed at teenagers that a team from the Church of Norway is working on. Those who play the game embark with the characters Max and his cousin who live in the year 2072 on a journey back in time using a time machine to solve a riddle involving their late grandmother. During their quest, the protagonists must perform certain tasks: Max, for example, must walk from the Mount of Olives to the Garden of Gethsemane and visit the Temple in Jerusalem. Currently, the proto version of the video game that has been launched…

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Lisbon, Portugal became the “capital of the world” last august 1st to 6th as the 16th World Youth Day (WYD) 2023 is held where more than 200 nationalities were represented from all around the globe.More than a million and a half young people gathered to celebrate this gathering of the youth. Every country in the world is represented (except the Maldives).This year’s theme is from Luke 1:39: “Mary arose and went in haste”. The theme is an invitation for all young people to be active in their evangelical and missionary endeavors, that they may not only “stand still” but be…

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“Mary got up and went in haste” (Lk. 1:39) is the biblical quotation chosen by Pope Francis with the motto of the XXVIII World Youth Day, which will be held, for the first time, in Lisbon, capital of Portugal, from July 26 to Aug. 6. The biblical phrase (a quote from the Gospel of St. Luke) opens the story of the Visitation (Mary’s visit to her cousin Elizabeth), a biblical episode that follows the Annunciation (the angel’s announcement to Mary that she would become the mother of the Son of God and which was the theme of the last WYD,…

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An unbelievable story that leaves one marveling as to how God does not allow himself to be overcome in creativity in order to seek his children. One example is the story of Wilhelm Buntz. Bluntz, a tormented and cruel man, full of violence and acts worthy of maximum security prison. Yet God meets him slowly, in the Word — valuing the pages of that Bible that Wilhelm uses to make DIY cigarettes in his cell. Today Wilhelm Buntz is 67 years old, happily married and the father of two children. For 38 years he has been reading The Bible every…

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Witnessing to faith in Christ by also treasuring the knowledge of stories, legends and tales passed down from generation to generation by popular cultures: this is the bet of Fr Silvano Galli, who recently held a meeting in Lomé together with a group of storytellers and local cultural workers. “Faith must be proclaimed, then told.” And to bear witness to the faith, familiarity with the narrative forms used in local folk tales can also help. This was the testimony offered during the meeting in Lomé by the priest from the Society for African Missions, which has been collecting folk tales…

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The last chapters of Genesis, from 37 to 50, tell the story of Joseph, son of Jacob: it is one of the most fascinating and engaging stories in the entire Bible. This is the starting point for Sardinia Bible Week to touch on the different nuances of a difficult brotherhood, which spans the whole of salvation history, to the very life and ministry of Jesus. The week will run from July 3-7 with the title: “Seeking My Brothers. Difficult fraternity: from the story of Joseph (Gen 37-50) to the brothers of Jesus.” The speakers will be biblical scholars Rosario Pistone…

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The one hundred and forty-one delegates representing seven regions of the Catholic Biblical Federation from fifty-three countries, gathered in Mar del Plata, Argentina, for the Tenth Plenary Assembly (April 15-21, 2023), have defined the priorities and specific objectives of the worldwide biblical apostolate, identifying seven general and common priorities and recommendations to be implemented by its members: 1. To develop biblical pastoral departments in Episcopal Conferences and dioceses where such structures do not exist, in order to establish Scripture as a fundamental and indispensable aspect of all Christian formation. 2. To make the faithful aware of their responsibility and co-responsibility…

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 It was in the Word of God that the head of the sermig.org discovered the seed of change for a more fraternal world: “Prayer gave me courage… Two years ago Ernesto Olivero resigned, he could have chosen his successor as per statute. Instead, he decided that the Fraternity would vote and choose without interfering in any way.” Thus speaks Rosanna Tabasso, the woman who the Fraternity of Hope has chosen to succeed the founder of the Sermig, the Missionary Service of Turin. The Sermig, with its history starting from 1964, has long been an acquired heritage for the entire Turin…

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The Protestant roots of Jehovah’s Witnesses, which now number some eight million adherents worldwide, dictate the use of the Bible as the only authoritative source of theology. But how is it possible that a group that calls itself “Christian” and is so firmly anchored in the sacred text does not believe in the Trinity, the divinity of Christ, the immortality of the soul, the existence of the Holy Spirit, thus the very foundation of all Christian denominations? To answer this question, we suggest reading Valerio Polidori’s book, published by EDB types: the author goes through the rigorous philological analysis of…

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He spreads the Gospel via tik tok, the social network of the very young. Video after video, in a concise, ironic and direct style, he recounts the lives of the Saints, “men like us who have done things as extraordinary as they are normal, to be taken as an example.” He answers questions, the most disparate, about faith and Christianity with the aim of making people think, ready joke and free spirit, provoking just enough to provoke a direct and possibly even constructive confrontation. In doing so, he has accumulated in just over a year over 350 thousand followers, supporters…

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In the “aftermath” of Pentecost it may be useful to retrace one by one the different nuances of the fruit of the Holy Spirit. Accompanied by the biblical and spiritual catechesis by Fr Fabio Rosini, held on Vatican Radio some years ago, let us explore these nuances . The individual interventions, which lasts for about 20 minutes each, are all available for free on a Christian youtube channel. Led by Monia Parente, the program “The fruits of the Spirit” is a great way to internalize what in these days we have celebrated and lived. Good listening!

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Teddy Howell, a 9 year old third grader in Michigan emulates the popular media priest, Fr. Mike Schmitz’ Bible in a Year Podcast. Totally inspired by Fr. Mike, young Teddy, also wants to be a podcasting priest like Schmitz when he grows up. With the help of his parents, Stephani and Sean, Teddy launched his “Kid’s Bible in a Year with Teddy” podcast last March 12. New episodes are released every Sunday and Wednesday. Each session, Teddy leads a prayer and then reads a passage from the Great Adventure Kids Catholic Bible Chronicles, a book from publisher Ascension that provides…

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