Friday, 22 August: Pope Leo XIV called for a day of prayer and fasting today, for peace and justice in the Holy Land, Ukraine, and other regions. In Portugal, the news spread from person to person or circulated on social media because the mainstream media did not notice it. Conclusion: we must learn to organise ways of communication and freedom that outdo the pedagogical fury of those who want to impose their views on us.
In a joint initiative with the International Union of Superiors General (UISG), Talitha Kum – a global network committed to the fight against human trafficking – held the 5th Talitha Kum Asia Conference in Jakarta from August 26 to 30. Under the theme “Compassion in Action: Ending Human Trafficking,” the event was attended by delegates from religious congregations and civil society organizations, international partners, and several young leaders. Sixty representatives from 16 Asian countries attended the event, aiming to “strengthen solidarity, share the most effective practices on the ground, and deepen regional
Jesus introduce this gospel passage by saying, “I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing!” The “fire” of which He speaks is His purifying fire of mercy that He poured forth from the Cross as He offered His life for the salvation of the world. His mercy is given to free us from our sins and to cleanse our souls so that God Himself can come to dwell within us. This is why we exist. God wants to dwell within us, and He wants us to be in perfect union with Him.
Regarding human trafficking, which is increasing in a complex and exponential way in Vietnam (and throughout the world), with social media playing a key role in this particular situation – a “fertile ground” where criminals exploit different ways to attract and defraud potential victims – Sister Teresa Pham Ninh Khanh Hau, of the Caritas Diocese of Hung Hoa, north of Ho Chi Minh City, convened a meeting of over a hundred teenagers to share essential knowledge with them, aiming to raise awareness and “help them remain vigilant against human trafficking.”
Vigilance, hard work, determination, attentiveness, fidelity—these are some of the qualities that Jesus is speaking about. To “gird your loins” means that you are immediately prepared for some challenging task. You are ready for the hard work ahead and are…
In the year marking the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the world is closer than ever to a new nuclear holocaust. If it happens, it will be infinitely more deadly than the tragedy that brought us 1945. The scene of devastated buildings, disintegrated living beings, and people killed in seconds—the result of an energy so devastating that their shadows remain imprinted on the walls or asphalt of the two martyred Japanese cities to this day—will be replicated across the planet. And, in the end, no one will be left to tell the tale.
Someone in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, tell my brother to share the inheritance with me.” He replied to him, “Friend, who appointed me as your judge and arbitrator?” Luke 12:13–14
Military clashes that recently erupted again on the Cambodia-Thailand border, with the use of powerful military vehicles and fighter jets—a factor creating a very tense situation—have rekindled long-standing fears among Catholic communities in the region. “We have woken up to the nightmare of a possible war,” Jesuit Father Enrique Figaredo, Apostolic Prefect of Battambang, a Cambodian province bordering Thailand, told the Fides news agency.
Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples.” Luke 11:1