Alecia Shine George age 15 from Chicago shares her testimony.

JESUS BEARS THE CROSS

Jesus knows all about suffering. Think about the weight of all our sins that He, an innocent man, carried to the Cross. He never did anything wrong. All He ever did was heal the sick, perform miracles and spread love. But He chose to bear the Cross so that you and I could enter into the everlasting bliss of heaven. Luke 24:7 says, “The Son of Man must be crucified, and on the third day rise again.”

BULLIED AND INSULTED

Sharlet Francis Xavier tells the story of St Rita of Cascia.

HER BIRTH

Rita Lotti was born in 1381 in a small village in the Umbrian Hills, part of the Republic of Cascia in Italy. Her parents were a well-respected Catholic couple, Antonio and Amata, who had prayed for a child for many years. When their only child was born, they called her Rita, which in the local dialect meant ‘pearl’
 

CHILDHOOD

Do you want to hear what God is saying to you? Ainish Philip, a Sehion youth minister, working in the USA tells how this is possible

A DIVINE CALL

Julie, a children’s doctor at a large hospital, liked to put the children at ease before she examined them. She would plug the stethoscope into their little ears and let them listen to their own heartbeat. This usually dispelled their fear of the doctor and made them more comfortable. Their eyes would light up in amazement, hearing their own heart pumping the blood round their body. One day she tried this with four year old James. Gently she tucked the stethoscope into his ears and placed the disk over his heart.

A reflection on Mark 10:17-31 by RoseMary Joy

THE RICH MAN

This is a poem about our 'Image' focused culture, with Selfies, Instagram, Snapchat and other social media by Neethu Sebastian.

I remember a time, just a few years back, 
when a "selfie" meant nothing, 
and that was all that. 
When a filter was a thing 
used to purify water 
and when Photoshop was literally 
a photo shop. 

This new regular feature is for those who are ready for a deeper biblical insight into how young people can live a more holy life. Sunil James shares his ‘8 step method’ to break the chains of addiction.

Understanding Addiction 

June Palmer answers some of your questions about the saints.

Q– Why do we choose a Saint’s name when we are Confirmed? 

THERE ARE FIVE DIFFERENT WAYS TO TALK TO THE GOD. HERE IS A GOOD WAY TO REMEMBER THEM:

PASTA 
Praise (when we express our love for God) 
Adoration (acknowledging our dependence on God) 
Sorrow for sin (asking forgiveness from God) 
Thanksgiving (thanking God for all He has done for us) 
Asking (telling God our needs) 
So when you are praying remember PASTA!

A SIMPLE FIVE FINGER PRAYER: 

The world has witnessed social and cultural changes through the ages. Should the views of the Catholic Church change to reflect those of the majority of people these days?

Do you want to have a better relationship with God? Newshia Augustine tells us about the importance of prayer in building up our life of faith.

WHAT IS PRAYER

1. Pentecost is one of the greatest festivals of the Church, although it is not widely celebrated or known outside the Church

2. When the Apostles and Our Lady went to the Upper Room to pray they were actually going to celebrate the Feast of Weeks. This Jewish festival was held each year on the 50th day after the Sabbath of Passover week and is described in Leviticus 23:15-22

3. The Jewish Festival of Weeks (called Shavuot in Hebrew) was originally to celebrate the harvest but later it celebrated the time when God gave the Ten Commandments to Moses on Mount Sinai.