De La Mennais Brothers: Making Jesus Christ better known and loved by young people

I've just seen a second film in a week in which there is a beautiful relationship between a mother and her son. Last weekend it was "Room", starring the quite wonderful Brie Larsen and Jacob Tremblay as a mother and son in a film which is quite rightly garnering rave reviews and awards buzz. Tonight it was the less high-profile but equally interesting and moving 2014 British movie "X and Y", starring the wonderful British quartet of Sally Hawkins, Rafe Spall, Eddie Marsan and as the lead character, an autistic boy genius, Asa Butterfield ("The Boy With The Striped Pyjamas", "Hugo" and the underrated "Ender's Game").  Each film puts centre stage a mother/son relationship where the two characters' circumstances have led to the biological father not being able to fulfil that role for his son. Though the narratives are very different, each is held together by the purity and selflessness of the mother's love for her chi...

Here at last is the Vatican document whose publication was announced in December on the Identity and Mission of the Religious Brother.

Yes, really!!!! Catholic Beard Balm!! "Plus its nice to have people ask: Why do you smell like Confirmation?" And apparently St. Augustine was a fan of chin hair: "The beard signifies the courageous; the beard distinguishes the grown men, the earnest, the active, the vigorous. So that when we describe such, we say, he is a bearded man." Bearded and proud!!!

At least once a year, Christians are reminded of Jesus’ prayer for his disciples that “they may be one so that the world may believe” (John 17.21). Christians come together to pray for their unity during the annual Week Of Prayer For Christian Unity (in January). Congregations and parishes of the different Christian denominations all over the world exchange preachers or arrange special ecumenical celebrations and prayer services. Prayer for Christian Unity: Lord Jesus, you said that everyone will know that we are your disciples if there is love among us. Strengthened by your grace, may we work tirelessly for the visible unity of your Church, so that the Good News that we are called to proclaim will be seen in all our words and deeds. Amen. Here's a modern (and rather fun) take on the old Christian Unity hymn “We Are One In The Spirit”. It was the first hymn I ever sang solo in public at a Salvation Army Christian Unity event my sister took me to when I was in short pants a lon...

To say it’s been a busy month of December is to say absolutely nothing new, but this year the busy-ness seemed to pass off without the usual associate stress and nervous exhaustion, for which I am very grateful (thank you, God!). Perhaps I’m at last learning to trust in Him more and worry less. That’s not to say that there aren’t a few dark clouds on the horizon, beacuse there are… some issues that would normally weigh heavily on my shoulders… but at least for the moment I am able to hand them over, to not worry about what those clouds will bring. And if it’s a storm, if it’s flooding and gale force winds (my prayers go out to all those who have actually suffered from these in the past few weeks in northern Britain), well I know that I won’t be alone and that God will give me the strength that I need to stand strong with my face to the sky and joy in my heart. Talking of joy, I just heard the following track for the first time, a foretaste of Jesus Culture’s new album that comes out in...

Today I read the following in the Give Us This Day iOS app and it spoke to me very deeply, especially as I've been reflecting on personal fears recently in the context of the book by Bro. David Steindl-Rast osb, "Gratefulness, the heart of prayer". At the Heart of the Invitation Our world seems to run on the fuel of fear. Simply watching or reading the news can fill our tanks with enough anxiety-provoking material to keep us running for days. Work and family concerns, fretfulness over jobs and money, disquiet about health, and apprehension over other things can turn us into nervous wrecks. Constant worry is exhausting, and that exhaustion typically leads to more angst. Jesus offers a clear warning that might be easy for anxious people to miss. Do we think we’re off the hook because we are not out “carousing” or getting drunk? Not so fast. It seems that the “anxieties of daily life” are on the watch list as well, and that is a net likely to catch many. It could be easy to ...

DVO App October 20 Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me." Matt 16:24 Take up your cross - Part One "We will never create anything more powerful or significant than our lives." Erwin McManus. I posted this quote on Instagram a few months back, and I copped a little heat for it. Someone said that they felt this was the most selfish statement they had ...